8 Reasons Marvel's Spider-Man 4 Director Is The Perfect Choice

The MCU’s Spider-Man 4 officially has its director, and there are some great reasons why Destin Daniel Cretton is perfect for the job. Marvel Studios’ concluded its first Spider-Man trilogy with Sony Pictures in 2021. Now, it looks as though the next era for Tom Holland’s Webslinger finally has its director, and it’s a very exciting choice.

It was recently reported that Destin Daniel Cretton signed on to direct Spider-Man 4. Having already directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Cretton is already expected to direct Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi sequel as well as the upcoming Wonder Man series on Disney+ starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Now, it looks as though Cretton will be adding Spider-Man 4 to his MCU repertoire, and there are some very exciting reasons why he’s a very exciting director following Jon Watts who directed the first three Spider-Man films in the MCU.

8 Destin Daniel Cretton Has Proven MCU Success With Shang-Chi

One Of The Best Post-Endgame Movies

Right off the bat, it’s clear that Marvel Studios is looking for some proven success by hiring Destin Daniel Cretton. After all, Cretton directed 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, one of the very first major successes of the MCU in the aftermath of the Infinity Saga and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Not only did Shang-Chi introduce a brand-new character to the MCU played by Simu Liu, but it also introduced a new sub-genre to the franchise.

All in all, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of the highest rated MCU films of all time. It’s currently ranked 10th on Rotten Tomatoes, just under the very first Avengers film from 2012 with a 91% approval rating. As such, it’s no wonder that Marvel Studios wants to have Cretton at the helm to help introduce a brand-new chapter of Spider-Man’s story in the MCU.

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the 26th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Simu Liu plays Shaun (Aka Shang-Chi), a valet living and working in San Francisco, along with his friend Katy (Awkwafina), when one day, his past comes knocking back at his door. To protect himself and Katy, Shaun reveals himself to be Shang-Chi and his lineage, with his father being the actual “Mandarin,” the leader of the Ten Rings criminal organization. His father is now reaching out to him, and his estranged sister and Shaun must head back to China to save his sister and figure out his father’s true motivations. Shang-Chi was one of the first films in the fourth phase of the MCU.

Director Destin Cretton Release Date September 3, 2021 Studio(s) Disney , Marvel Distributor(s) Disney Writers Dave Callaham , Steve Englehart , Jim Starlin Cast Awkwafina , Simu Liu , Tony Leung Chiu Wai Runtime 132 minutes Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Budget $150-$200 million Main Genre Superhero Expand

7 Marvel Studios Has A Lot Of Trust In Cretton

(Shang-Chi 2 and Wonder Man)

If Spider-Man 4 wasn’t enough, Marvel Studios has certainly put a lot of trust in Destin Daniel Cretton. Not only is he expected to eventually direct a Shang-Chi sequel, but he’s also serving as the creator of Wonder Man, an upcoming series that’s set to introduce Simon Williams, an actor who ends up receiving superpowers of his own and becomes a legitimate hero in the MCU. Sir Ben Kingslesy’s fake Mandarin aka Trevor Slattery is expected to appear in the show as well.

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As it stands, Cretton has already made one original movie for the MCU, and is currently developing both a sequel and an original series. Beyond that impressive hat trick, Marvel Studios is now throwing in Spider-Man 4, which will likely be the start of a whole new trilogy for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. It’s an incredibly rare and unique position for a director to be with the MCU, one that communicates quite a lot of trust that his work will be of a very high and exciting quality.

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Released on Disney+ as a limited series, Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man introduces the titular Avengers hero in the MCU. Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the actor-turned-superhero Simon Williams, Wonder Man also features Ben Kingsley, who reprises his Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi role as the eccentric thespian Trevor Slattery.

Cast Yahya Abdul-Mateen II , Ben Kingsley , Demetrius Grosse , Ed Harris Seasons 1 Franchise(s) MCU Main Genre Superhero Franchise Marvel Cinematic Universe Creator(s) Destin Daniel Cretton Production Company Marvel Studios Expand

6 Spider-Man 4’s Action Scenes Will Be Very Strong

Shang-Chi Had Incredible Fight Choreography

Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is more than enough proof that Spider-Man 4’s action sequences are going to be unlike anything that’s been seen from the Webslinger before. The action will no doubt be superb, especially if Cretton is able to get the same crew behind the camera that he had on the 2021 MCU film. To that end, Shang-Chi’s iconic bus fight with Razor Fist alone is a great sign of what fans can likely expect to see in the future with Spider-Man 4.

Seen parkouring and flipping through bus seats and hanging out of windows, the sheer physicality on display with Shang-Chi during this sequence (and the rest of the film) can only be a benefit for Peter Parker. While similar to Shang-Chi, Spider-Man’s powers offer him even more acrobatic ability, something Cretton should be able to depict in some very exciting ways. Spider-Man’s past movies have some very exciting and intense action (most notably No Way Home), but Cretton will more likely be able to take things to the next level.

5 Destin Daniel Cretton Can Do A Street-Level Spider-Man Story

Offering A More Grounded Take On The MCU Webslinger

Shang-Chi features multiple elements that are quite grounded. This includes San Francisco fight sequences as well as Shang-Chi entering an underground fighting ring in Macau at the Golden Daggers Club. As such, it’s a good sign for those hoping for a more street-level Spider-Man 4, and Cretton should be able to deliver a story in this more grounded vein with very little issue.

At the end of No Way Home, Peter Parker is completely on his own. His friends don’t remember him, and he’s without most of the tech he once had. Living in a single-room apartment in New York and making his own suit, the movie ends with Spider-Man swinging through New York after sacrificing so much to end a major multiversal threat with help from his fellow Spider-Man variants and Doctor Strange.

Keeping that in mind, many are hoping that Spider-Man 4 will make good on that ending and show Tom Holland’s Spider-Man operating in a more grounded setting in New York itself. Perhaps he could face some of Marvel’s classic crime bosses, or even help someone like Daredevil take down the Kingpin. If that’s the case, Cretton is certainly the right kind of director to help make that happen.

4 Cretton Could ALSO Pull Off A New Multiverse Story For Spider-Man

Perhaps Set In Battleworld?

At the same time, Shang-Chi also has its fair share of more fantastical elements. This includes the legendary Ten Rings wielded by Shang-Chi’s father Wenwu before Shang-Chi himself, the mystical realm of Ta-Lo, the monstrous Dweller-in-Darkness, and the mighty dragon known as the Great Protector. With that in mind, it follows that Cretton could also provide a more multiversal Spider-Man 4 if that ends up being what Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures agree on.

Related How To Watch the Marvel Movies In Order (By Release Date & In Order Of MCU Timeline Events)

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It’s worth noting that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are expected to be respectively released in 2026 and 2027 to conclude the current Multiverse Saga. Spider-Man 4 is expected to begin filming in early 2025, meaning a release date either before or in between the Avengers is more than likely. With that in mind, perhaps Spider-Man 4 will either serve as a multiversal prelude to the crossovers or perhaps be a transition film. There are theories that Spider-Man 4 could take place on Battleworld, connecting with Secret Wars while also giving the MCU’s Peter Parker his own symbiote suit.

3 Cretton Seems To Be Interested In Singular Hero Stories

Originally Signed On To Direct Avengers 5

It’s also pretty interesting that Destin Daniel Cretton was originally reported to be the director for Avengers 5. However, he apparently declined the job. Seeing as how he’s now signed on for Spider-Man 4, it does suggest that Cretton may be more interested in more focused and singular stories, rather than bigger ensemble projects. Likewise, his presumably ongoing work developing Shang-Chi 2 and Wonder Man seems to support this idea as well.

2 Cretton’s Pre-MCU Work Focuses On Character

Just Mercy & Short Term 12

In the same vein, Destin Daniel Cretton’s prior MCU work points to his deep investment in character as well. This is notably proven with Cretton’s films like Just Mercy starring Michael B. Jordan who played defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, representing poor people on death row in the South (which was both written and directed by Cretton). Additionally, Short Term 12 is also a great example, a movie that served as Brie Larson’s first leading performance as Grace Howard, a supervisor of a group home for troubled teenagers (based on Cretton’s own real-life experiences working at a group facility).

As such, one can hope that Spider-Man 4 might also have a dedicated character focus with some strong depth. There’s certainly a lot for Cretton to work with given the dynamic ending of Spider-Man 4. There’s so much space for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to receive e some real dimension and ability to grow into some new spaces as a character in the MCU.

1 Cretton Can Write AND Direct

Can Only Help Spider-Man’s Returning Writers

Custom image by Andy Behbakht

It’s also exciting that Destin Daniel Cretton is not merely a director. He’s also an incredibly accomplished writer. While Cretton did help write the screenplay for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it’s been reported that original Spider-Man franchise writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers will be returning. Perhaps Cretton will have a hand in helping them right Spider-Man 4 as well. Even if he doesn’t, having a well-rounded director who also has experience as a writer can only help the next Spider-Man movie in the MCU.

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Spider-Man: Homecoming 4 is the first sequel to the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular wall-crawler. After wiping his identity for the public’s memory in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker continues his crime-fighting adventures without the aid of Iron Man technology or the support of his former allies.

Studio(s) Columbia Pictures , Marvel Studios , Pascal Pictures Distributor(s) Sony Cast Tom Holland , Zendaya , Jacob Batalon Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe , Spider-Man prequel(s) Spider-Man: Homecoming , Spider-Man: Far From Home , Spider-Man: No Way Home